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Monthly Archives: March 2011

It’s been sounding like a love-fest, Howard Stern and satellite radio. First, Sirius crushed its competitor, XM — which it could not have done without the weight of Howard and his loyal listeners. Then the two satellite radio companies merged to become Sirius XM. This has sounded like a love-fest: Howard can do his morning radio show uncensored by regular radio stations, unthreatened by the FCC, and without endless commercials jamming up his show.

Plus, since his first day on satellite radio, in January 2006, Howard has been saying how great it is to be appreciated by his new employer. Again and again, his listeners have heard him say that he’s happy at Sirius, and that the whole set-up on satellite has allowed him and his crew to do the best radio they’ve ever done.

In December 2010, after months of a cliff-hanger for listeners, wondering whether Howard would renew his contract, he re-signed to continue his show for another five years.

But the love-fest — let’s say the honeymoon at least — seems to be over. Today, Howard Stern, through his production company, One Twelve, Inc. (named for his birthday, January 12th), and his agent, Don Buchwald, sued Sirius XM in New York State Supreme Court for breach of contract.

The great Bob McKenzie (the tax lawyer in Chicago, not the hockey guy, not the fictional Canadian on SCTV) told me these:

“The company accountant is shy and retiring. He’s shy a quarter of a million dollars. That’s why he’s retiring.”

• Milton Berle

and

Question: What does an accountant use for birth control?

Answer: His personality.

While much of my attention, when it comes to jokes about professions, is focused on lawyer jokes (e.g., What do you call a 52 seat bus with 50 lawyers on it which drives off a cliff? ….), I always ask other professionals what jokes there are about them (e.g., Two optometrists walk into a bar….)

So, it feels like a gift to be told a few accountant jokes.

And with many of us having an accountant as our new best friend in February or March, it could not have come at a better time. I think Bob was not unaware of this.